J_A_Sole_Source_1.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

https://www.blm.gov

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR ACQUISTIONS UNDER SIMPLIFIED ACQUISTION PROCEDURES

This document sets forth the justification and approval as required by 13.106-1(b)(1) & (2).

1. AGENCY AND CONTRACTING ACTIVITY:

Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office 440 West 200 South, Suite 500 Salt Lake City, UT 84101

2. NATURE/DESCRIPTION OF ACTION(S):

This is a firm-fixed-price, sole source, base plus two-year contract for database access with Utah State Government Library Division Utah State Library.

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES/SERVICES:

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide BLM Utah Archaeologists access to the Sego and UDAM databases and to upload and manage the access to site records and reports generated by BLM Utah.

4. ESTIMATED DOLLAR VALUE:

This contract would cover a three-year period (one base year, plus two option years) at $15,000 per year, for a total of $45,000 over the life of the contract.

5. IDENTIFICATION OF STATUTORY AUTHORITY:

__X__41 U.S.C. 1901 – Simplified acquisition procedures (use when the simplified procedures for purchases of property and services for amounts (1) not greater than the simplified acquisition threshold

____41 U.S.C 1903 – Special emergency procurement authority (applies when in support of a contingency operation as defined in section 101(a) of title 10 or to facilitate the defense against or recovery from nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack against the United States).

https://www.blm.gov/

6. RATIONALE SUPPORTING USE OF THE AUTHORITY STATED IN PARAGRAPH

Development of a new system would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming and would require strict security measures. Without access to this system, even in the interim, BLM Utah Staff would not be able to perform required Section 106 compliance duties adequately and lawfully.

Competition is not available for this requirement because the official database was established and is maintained by the Utah State Historic Preservation Office. Market research has been conducted with other entities providing similar work in the area as well as web searches. No other equivalent database/GIS exists, and no other database provides the multi-jurisdictional archaeological data UT BLM requires for effective and efficient Section 106 compliance.

7. OTHER INFORMATION:

Currently no other existing database exists for cultural resource data in Utah outside of this system. If this award was granted to another source, the source would need to develop a user-friendly database and Geographical Information System accessible by multiple users, with adequate security measures from scratch. This would result in substantial delays and significantly increased costs, as all current data in the existing database used by the state would need to be duplicated in the new database, which is hundreds of thousands of records.

SHPO requirements for Sego and UDAM access during Section 106 consultation cannot be met by any other database. Other states have comparable databases, but these do not house data from Utah. tDAR houses some similar kinds of information, but only from archaeological research projects that the researchers have paid to enter. There is no comparable GIS data within the tDAR system, and there is a small fraction of the number of archaeological resources in Utah for which data are available. The Utah SHPO does not use tDAR as the basis for their review of 106 undertakings submitted by federal agencies because it is not designed for this purpose.

8. THE EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL SOURCES INCLUDING THE

MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED:

Searches on the Internet and professional archaeological community in 2025 have confirmed that no other comprehensive database of archaeological resources in Utah exists independently of the Sego/UDAM system.

Prior to award to SAM.gov, a Public Notice will also be posted to allow potential sources to be made aware of this requirement and give them fair opportunity to respond if they have a comparable service being offered by Utah SHPO.

9. FUTURE PLANS TO PERMIT COMPETITION:

The only way Utah could permit competition would be to substantially change the requirements of this contract and pursue the development of a new BLM hosted and managed database system and GIS tool. This would require a significantly larger outlay of funds and time from BLM staff to maintain the system.

Due to the unique position that Utah SHPO has, as the only source for BLM archaeologists to access cultural resources data for non-BLM sites in Utah, there are no future plans to allow for competition.

10. CERTIFICATIONS:

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, and which form a basis for this justification, are complete and accurate.

___//Signature on File//_____________________ _________________ Nicole Lohman Date Contracting Officer’s Representative

I hereby certify that the facts and representations included in this justification for other than full and open competition are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Jessilyn Sanborn Date Contracting Specialist

I hereby certify that this requirement does not exceed the Government’s minimum needs or schedule requirements, and that the basis for award under other than full and open competition is accurate and completed to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Temujene H. Makua Date Contracting Officer